The mysterious "Lup"
Lup is Taako's twin sister
"Lup" is a nickname for Chalupa, the twin sister of Taako. He can't remember her either because of Voidfish interference, or because of the way that taking a new body after death causes memory loss. No, wait, hear me out:- Chalupas are a type of Mexican food similar to the taco. Twin theme naming at its best, and it's entirely plausible given some of the other ridiculous names that have shown up in the series.
- The Umbra Staff, heavily implied to have belonged to her, only responded to Taako, and the skeleton holding it acknowledged him when he took it. The Staff also refuses to be wielded by anybody except him. The reason only Taako can use it? The staff recognises him as Lup's brother.
- Maureen's vision of the 'brilliant light heralded by seven birds', commonly believed in the fandom to represent the Red Robes and their ship, referred to the Twins.
- Taako heard a female voice that was familiar and made his heart 'swell up', even thought he had no idea who the voice was. The voice was Lup's; he reacted the way he did because some part of him still recognises her as his twin.
- As of Episode 59, This theory is confirmed! Taako and Lup were Red Robes, but Lup died before the events of the first arc and all memory of her was erased by The Director's use of the Void Fish's baby.
- Confirmed except for the "Chalupa" thing. It's just "Lup".
Lup created the Phoenixfire Gauntlet
Magnus remembers wanting to hide the Temporal Chalice after creating it. Barry's cutscene narration involves him looking for the Phoenixfire Gauntlet and by extension Lup, who is trying to hide it. If each Red Robe created and then hid one Relic, then the Gauntlet was Lup's.- Lup is associated with the Umbra Staff. Both times it's acted of its own accord, it's used Scorching Ray - a fire-based spell - to do so.
- As of Episode 66, this is confirmed. On a side note, Lup's association with the Umbra Staff is because she was sucked into it while searching for the Gauntlet she created.
Lup isn't going to stay dead
There's too much potential for the character, especially with how she's being expanded on in The Stolen Century, for her to just stay dead....Besides, imagine poor poor Leon's reaction when he realizes he's dealing with two Taakos.- As of Episode 67, confirmed! Well, sort of. She's not exactly "alive", but she wasn't exactly "dead" to begin with either, due to being a lich. But she has returned.
Grand Relics
Taako either created or hid the Animus Bell.
It's all but confirmed that, like Magnus, he and Merle were once Red Robes and were involved in the creation and concealment of the Grand Relics. Magnus was the one to hide the Temporal Chalice, which is also the relic he's most tempted by—he doesn't care about the power that the others offer, but he describes the ability to change the past as something he wants more than anything in the world. Similarly, the Suffering Game arc demonstrates Taako's own preoccupation with his youth and beauty, and the Animus Bell offers its user a way to live forever. If each relic is connected to a specific Red Robe based on its abilities (see also the "Lup created the Phoenixfire Gauntlet" WMG above), it would follow that Taako's relic was the Animus Bell. Also? Taako Bell. Jossed.Who created/hid the rest of the Relics:
- The Oculus Lens: Director Lucretia. It turns illusory magic into real items, and she used an illusion spell on her portrait. Jossed
- Perhaps Davenport, for hiding how the Relics were switched out rather than destroyed. Confirmed.
- The Gaia Sash: Merle. His connection to nature is on par with the sash's abilities. Confirmed.
- The Philosopher's Stone: Barry Bluejeans. It has a connection with the 12 different planes. Barry was seen on a different planet in the Voidfish's memories. Jossed.
- Alternatively Taako, for specializing in Transmutation magic that the Stone embodies. Confirmed.
- The Seventh Relic: Lucretia. Perhaps her white oak staff? Confirmed!
The Phoenixfire Gauntlet creates connections to the Hunger.
In the Crystal Kingdom arc, Lucas reveals that an uncut circle of flawless gemstone can be used to look into other planes of existence. The Red Robe also shows the Hunger emerging from a circle of black opal in Lucas' lab; however, Lucas states that the black opal is inert and cannot be used to look into other planes. Based on the Red Robe's demonstration, it seems like something similar to black opal could be used to look into the Hunger's plane—something like, say, one of those perfect circles of obsidian-like black glass that the Gauntlet tends to create.The Director is hiding the undestroyed Grand Relics in her private quarters...
But not for evil purposes. She simply doesn't know/have the power to destroy them just yet, so she's containing them in storage in order to figure out how to do it without succumbing to their thrall or blowing up the entire base.- Jossed. She is hiding them, but in order to combine them into the Light of Creation that can create a barrier from the Hunger.
The Seventh Grand Relic is...
- Director Lucretia's staff. It's a fairly plain white oak staff that "doesn't match the rest of her decorated outfit". She tapped it on the ground and put the THB to sleep, so it's presumably magical. Perhaps it has a special thrall on her that's influencing her actions?
- Confirmed. She resists the thrall because she made it.
- The "thick book, bound in blue leather and silver trim" in the Voidfish's tank that Magnus saw in his vision.
- A second Gauntlet. If the Gauntlet was one of a pair, the other could have complementary powers. Also, both Gauntlets could have been made by the Twins in Maureen's prophecy.
- Love. Leave it to Griffin to turn early theoretical jokes into a serious reveal.
The Oculus created Tom Bodett.
Specifically, it created the many clones of Tom Bodett. The Oculus is capable of manifesting any illusory object into reality. Perhaps the person Leeman Kessler recovered The Oculus from created an army of Bodetts to run the city, acting as general workers in the factories of Rockport, as well as public services, such as police officers, and even station managers and ticket sellers at the Rockport Train Station. Other Theories
General theories about the Seven Birds:
Maureen's prophecy mentions "a brilliant light heralded by seven birds flying tirelessly from the storm. I saw seven birds: the twins, the lover, the protector, the lonely journal keeper, the peacemaker, and the wordless one." These 7 figures are likely the ones to stop the Hunger from consuming the entire planar existences, and possibly the Red Robes who created the Grand Relics. Ideas?- The Twins: Taako and Lup (see Lup folder above). Confirmed.
- The Lover: Barry Bluejeans. He was possibly Lup's significant other, being really torn up over Lup's death and remembering them gives him strength to keep his lich form (fueled by strong emotions like love). Confirmed.
- The Protector: Magnus. He always rushes into danger in order to protect others from harm. Confirmed.
- The Lonely Journal-Keeper: Lucretia. Before the B.O.B. and before she tried to get the Animus Bell, she "dedicated [her] whole life to the study and the service of other people’s discoveries, of other people’s adventures, [she] was a supporter." Confirmed.
- The Peacemaker: Merle. He sometimes mediates between Magnus and Taako's antics and spent his life on the run trying to find peace with Pan. Confirmed.
- The Wordless One: The Voidfish. It only communicates through musical notes and transferring mental images. It was from a planet destroyed by the Hunger where it also encountered the Red Robes. Jossed.
- Alternatively, Davenport hasn't said anything besides his name. If he's secretly important to the story, this could be it. Confirmed.
Davenport is the real Big Bad, and all of the hints that Lucretia is secretly evil are just red herrings.
Think about it—Davenport:- Actually handles the disposal of the Grand Relics—he's the one who carries the metal spheres in which the relics are (supposedly) destroyed.
- On a related note, Davenport collects the Animus Bell the instant the party returns from Wonderland, rather than waiting for them to come to the usual room. This is supposedly on Lucretia's orders, but the idea that she wouldn't personally oversee the collection and destruction of the Bell, especially given the eroded trust between her and the party, is highly uncharacteristic of her.
- Easily resists the thrall of the Philosopher's Stone at the end of The Crystal Kingdom; this is passed off as him being too stupid to tempt, but it's more than a little suspicious given the incredible power the relics have over even other idiots like Taako, Merle, and Magnus.
- Started out with a fairly normal level of intelligence, but devolved into the personality of a harmless, lovable idiot only capable of Pokémon Speak. Obfuscating Stupidity, anyone?
- Is named after one of the McElroys' oldest and best-known fans. Given that most fan-named NPCs are fairly rounded and popular characters, it would be weird if Drew Davenport's name was used for a completely one-note, inconsequential minor character.
- Jossed, but he is the captain of the IPRE.
Angus Mcdonald is a dragon. (Full theory on this Reddit post
.)
Angus is a young silver dragon, one who has only recently learned to shapechange and stepped out into the world.- He says he's ten years old, but he got a 24 on his Charisma save to resist Merle's Zone of Truth. He said his Grandfather was "so old he doesn't remember his name", which an ancient dragon could forget over centuries. Maybe Angus was delivering the silverware to his grandpa (returning a piece of his horde stolen by adventurers), but he got hired by Rockport to investigate the murder so he went incognito as a human.
- Later he spots the invisible crab monster and hits it directly with a crossbow. He could be using blindsight, another dragon trait, or tracking it by scent. He's also really strong, dragging a fainted adult out of the compartment by himself. Perhaps Angus stuck around to help keep the THB safe. He could be secretly older and more intelligent than Taako, but still wanted to become his protege and learn some magic (something dragons do often).
- The Caleb Cleveland series Angus reads was actually his inspiration for the human Angus persona, in order to blend in with non-dragon societies.
- Maybe? In The The Adventure Zone Zone: Balance Finale Edition, Griffin mentions this theory, and says it's interesting, but leaves it open to interpretation.
The entire campaign is a time loop. (Full theory in this Tumblr post.)
- The Eleventh Hour was foreshadowing for how the entire series has been caught in a loop that always ends with the Hunger destroying all the planes of existence.
- The Voidfish's vision of the 12 circles being consumed mentions that "eventually the white light breaks from the black circle and the entire pattern repeats.” This could be the loop skipping back to the beginning.
- After the first Refuge loop, Griffin says "There's something about the dying that feels familiar" despite the THB dying for the first time.
- Jossed. The Stolen Century reveals that the boys have died before but due to the Star Blaster's ability to revive them every time they jump dimensions they've come back multiple times. On top of that, it's not Time they're travelling through, but Space.
The Final Choice is saving the Material or the Astral Plane from the Hunger, and sacrificing the other.
- Paloma's prophecy is divided between 2 possible outcomes, one being "a gray world, covered in ash, that is just completely barren and lifeless." In Reunion Tour, Griffin describes the grass as gradually losing its colour with gray clouds closing in. If left unguarded, the Material Plane will gradually lose all of its colour and life.
- The other outcome is "an ocean made out of tar, with a black sky above it, and this tar is bubbling, and... you see some stuff moving under the surface of the tar, but you can't make out what it is." Kravitz is currently trapped in the Astral Plane, which is swamped with a black tarry substance. If left unsaved, the Astral Plane would become that wasteland.
- The main characters might be forced to choose between these planes, but Paloma insists "There is always a third option" for them to strive for, and succeed in possibly saving both.
- Jossed; they have to choose between putting up a barrier around the plane or running from the Hunger again.
Kravitz is actually Keetz, Edward and Lydia's dead younger brother.
- Keetz was deathly sick and his siblings took up necromancy to try and save him, but he died regardless. After he died he presumably went to the Astral Plane, ruled by the Raven Queen.
- Kravitz said he "was given a difficult choice" when he took the career of being the Raven Queen's bounty hunter. This could mean he'd have to hunt down people who defied the laws of death, including his siblings for their actions. He's described as handsome, and wearing either a fashionable suit or black robes, which Edward and Lydia are also known for wearing.
- Possibly jossed, Griffin mentions that he intended for it to be spelled 'Keats', and says that he didn't intend for it to be Kravitz. He never explicitly denies it though.
The Bureau's base is actually the Silver Ship which carried the Red Robes between universes. (Full theory on this Reddit post.)
The Bureau's base is run by Lucretia and Davenport, two of the seven Red Robes, and contains the technology to house the Voidfish like the Silver Ship did. It's heavily disguised with illusion magic and can alter its own orbital path relatively easily.- Lucretia said that Lucas's floating lab was the prototype for the Bureau's base. However, Lucas (and the Miller family) have secretly been taking technological ideas from other planes for their own "inventions". Perhaps Lucretia let Lucas take credit for the base as cover for it being the Silver Ship.
- Jossed; the Starblaster is being hidden within the moon.
Governor Kalen will possibly be revealed/involved later in the story.
Granted, he is a backstory villain that's relatively manageable compared to the Hunger, but it would be a great payoff for Magnus's character arc. Merle has already interacted with his kids, so elements and people from other backstories can possibly reemerge.- Perhaps a future live show event will feature Travis as the DM while Taako, Merle and probably Angus are searching for Kalen to enact their revenge.
Taako is actually not a wizard.
We never get mention of him preparing spells, or having the wrong spells prepared; he's only spent when he's out of spell slots, nor does he seem to really use his spellbook for anything but taking notes on the taco formula. Even if we assume this is simply Griffin allowing Justin to fudge the rules a little to make it more fun, Taako is described as an idiot but is unquestionably very charismatic. This would make him a haphazard wizard but a great sorcerer, and in most D&D settings most people don't really know the difference; all arcane casters tend to be grouped together, so it makes sense that as someone who is not too bright himself, he would get the two confused.- Jossed in Story and Song ep. 1.Taako: It's okay! I have magic powers!Magnus: ... did he just tell us he's a wizard?
The Voidfish species are entities related to the Hunger.
When Boyland is erased, the Voidfish's galaxy pattern transforms into "bright strands of red and yellow and green" that represent the energy it uses to block people from remembering Boyland. The Hunger plane is also described as having streaks of different colours flash across its blackness. They both destroy knowledge about a reality by consuming it.- When the Hunger devours a living being, it could be blocking the soul of that entity from entering the Astral Plane, and the energy needed to control those souls shows up as streaks of colour.
- From the visions it shows Magnus, the Voidfish species originated from another universe that was later consumed by the Hunger, and it survived by travelling between universes on the Red Robes' silver ship. Perhaps the Hunger was not originally an entire plane of existence, but some powerful magical invention from the Voidfish's universe that grew out of control and only desires the consumption of all reality.
Tom Collins made a pact with Busto 2.0
In the bonus alternate-universe episode "The Adventure Zone: Nights", Griffin plays Tom Collins, a warlock who made a pact with an Old One for his power. He describes this entity as “…sort of an abstract, sort of, deep god… the Old One is just kind of abstract in the artistic sense, he’s just like a bunch of shapes. He’s just like a thousand shapes.” Considering Busto 2.0's God-trashed appearance and confusing motivations, Tom Collins could've made a pact with Busto 2.0 from another universe.Barry Bluejeans' name actually is Sildar Hallwinter
As this Tumblr post suggests, "Barry" could be a mishearing of "Darry", a nickname for "Sildar"; and Barry does mention in Here There Be Gerblins that "Bluejeans" isn't his actual family name...